Rustling Red Sands
by punkish furball
Summary: CURRENTLY REVISING! WILL BE REPOSTED! All Kagome could remember is the feel of the wooden puppet clutched in her hand before she was overcome by the sound of the rustling desert sands and a soft raspy voice saying, 'You shouldn't have kept me waiting.' IY/NRO xover.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer for this story: **__Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto and InuYasha is property of Rumiko Takahashi. __All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author, punkish furball. The author, punkish furball, is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

punkish furball—Hello all! Woohoo! New story!

**Words to Ponder:**

First off Happy New Year all! :)

…Just couldn't get this idea outta my head. I honestly have no clue where I'm going with this. So feedback will be much appreciated and I'm open to ideas for pairings!

Normal transition: -O0o0O-

Flashback transition: _**-O0o0O- **_

**Prologue**

"It has to be perfect!" Kagome said to herself as she looked into the windows of the various stores and shops that lined the Tokyo streets she walked searching for the perfect item. She sighed when nothing in the window displays caught her attention; she had already spent days searching for the perfect birthday present and had nothing worthwhile to show for it. This is going to be a very important day for him. It had never occurred to Kagome that he wanted to celebrate his birthday even after the three years they had spent together. After all, he is a demon and possesses such a long life span when compared to a human; celebrating birthdays shouldn't have mattered to much to him. But when the small kitsune commented on one of the celebrations of one of the children living in Kaede's village, Kagome couldn't resist planning a surprised birthday bash for little Shippo. Sango, Miroku, and Kaede readily agreed to the idea and were eager to assist Kagome for the young kit. InuYasha openly objected to the idea until Kagome promised to get him some extra chicken flavored ramen for the party. He grudgingly agreed to help as little as possible.

Kagome had already taken care of the majority of the preparations for the party planned to take place for later today. She had bought some decorations for Kaede's hut ready to be put up and all of the refreshments were ready including a three layer chocolate cake Shippo is sure to love. Kagome only had to find Shippo a gift for everything to be perfect. Modern toy stores didn't really have anything Shippo would like; it was all too flashy and loud. Kagome had looked into an art supplies store the day before and had purchased a set of brilliant water colors with different sizes of brushes and several sheets of canvas on a prior shopping trip, but that didn't seem like it was good enough for Shippo's special day.

'Maybe I'm trying too hard,' Kagome thought. She made one final glance at her surroundings and something caught her eye. It was a dingy looking building with dirty windows, chipped golden characters spelling out "Antique Store" painted on the door, and dim lighting shining from the inside. It seemed odd and out of place located among the other stores lining the busy walkway.

"Worth a shot," Kagome said to herself before walking into the small shop. She immediately grimaced when a stale odor hit her nose but didn't leave the store. Kagome walked to the back of the store and saw an ancient assortment of toys and knickknacks arranged on dusty shelves. Looking through the mounds and mounds of toys, she immediately drawn to a small wooden top with faded designs painted on it.

'Shippo might like this,' Kagome thought and reached for the top. From beneath the pile of toys, a small wooden limb brushed her arm. Kagome jumped back at the contact and glared at the miniature wooden offender. Kagome reached out, grabbed the little arm, and pulled wooden puppet from the mountain of toys. She turned the doll over in her hand; it was very basic in structure made of a wooden body brownish tan in color with no expression on its face or any other signs of distinctions.

"How cute!" Kagome exclaimed loudly. She cradled the wooden doll to her chest with one hand and held the wooden top in the other. She walked to the counter to purchase the toys.

"Have you found everything you're looking for?" the shop owner asked in a friendly voice. He was a friendly looking old man with white hair and a gentle smile.

"Yes," Kagome answered happily. The cashier rang up the items and Kagome paid him. She held the bag to her chest with a happy sigh. She quickly made it home and got settled in her room. She placed the bag on her bed and removed the wooden doll from it.

'I don't think I can give you up!' Kagome thought as she clutched the wooden doll tightly to her chest. All of a sudden, she shrieked and moved the doll as far away from her body as she could.

"Did you…" Kagome began addressing the puppet, "Did you just hug me back?" But the doll didn't respond like Kagome thought it would.

"You really are a strange little thing. Still cute though!" Kagome said to herself, but, in all honesty, she had seen stranger. She shrugged her shoulders and headed towards the bathroom with the puppet in her hand. She felt the need for a long hot shower after her successful shopping day. She opened the door to the bathroom and absently placed the doll on the bathroom counter. With a smile on her face, Kagome turned on the hot water in the shower letting the steam fog the mirror as she stripped down and got inside.

-O0o0O-

Sasori's eyes snapped open as he was immediately struck with the oddest vision he ever had. As always he was residing in Hiruko, one of his favorite puppets, while he waited for his partner, Deidara, to obtain the Jinchūriki that resided in Sunagakure as the village's Kazekage. The fact Sasori had even had a vision was odd in itself; he hadn't experience such sensations since he abandoned his human body.

At first, Sasori felt his body entered by a foreign, moist heat that encompassed him completely, something he had never felt in his artificial form. Then an image passed before his eyes, a woman, young and beautiful with long black hair and bright sapphire blue eyes. He couldn't dwell on her garments for long because they were quickly removed before she stepped underneath a running shower head behind a clear, plastic shower curtain. Slowly she undressed herself taking care to deposit her clothing in a wicker basket from her knitted top and skirt to her white lacy underclothes. Because his puppet body didn't have the "equipment" of flesh and blood men, Sasori was only shocked as he watched the woman disrobe but was sure he would have been aroused if it were at all possible.

Sasori had to construct his own image of the sight of her in the shower. As an artist, he liked beautiful things and this woman was definitely a rare beauty. He pictured her brilliant blue eyes closed happily with her smoky black eyelashes caressing her cheeks as the water soaked her form, her full lips pulled into a pleased smile, and her milky white skin and silky black hair dotted with the droplets of water from the shower and hit by light making her appear as delicate and beautiful as a crystal doll. But like all humans, her smooth pale skin would wrinkle and darken. That silken onyx hair will lose its sheen and softness growing thin and wiry and gray. Her eyes would lose that sparkle and glint of life.

'Such a shame,' Sasori thought as the image left him, 'Her beauty would do well to last forever.'

That woman seemed far too surreal to be an actual being; however, Sasori did not imagine and, if he did, the opposite sex was the farthest thing from his mind. Somewhere, this woman existed and somehow, she was connected to him. Sasori scowled as he continued to grow frustrated. This new situation coupled with Deidara's tardiness proved to be very annoying.

-O0o0O-

Kagome grinned as she looked down at the sleeping kitsune curled up next to Kirara. After her shower and change of clothes, she returned to the Feudal Era to show off the water color set and top she had gotten for Shippo. She decided to keep the puppet for herself and it quickly became her new "companion". The decorations were put up and the food was set out all the while with Shippo was out playing with the village children. When he returned Kaede's hut, he was overjoyed with the sight of all the food and presents. He thanked Kagome many times with tears shining in his emerald green eyes. Overall the celebration was very fun ad enjoyable, InuYasha even got into the spirit of this and presented Shippo with a small dagger, simple in design but lethal if used properly, and a promise to start training him so the small fox can finally "quit with the kiddy illusions and use some real weapons for a change". While Shippo slept contently, the others gathered around the fire in Kaede's hut all not quite ready to retire for the night. The current topic of conversation was Kagome's new toy; everyone noticed her growing attachment to it in only a few hours.

"What do you mean get rid of it?" Kagome said as she clutched the wooden puppet tightly to her chest. She couldn't explain why she was so attached to the wooden toy, but she didn't want to give it up just yet.

"It's just too goddamn creepy!" InuYasha hissed; he hated the small wooden toy. He knew it had to be possessed. What else would explain Kagome's attachment to the stupid thing? She hadn't let it go since she returned and he knew that when Kagome set it down to check on Shippo outside, he saw the dammed doll move into her lap as soon as she sat down next to Sango.

"What I believe InuYasha is trying to say is that we believe the doll is possessed by a malevolent spirit that seems to be very drawn to you," Miroku said as eloquently as ever. He too had been watching the small toy very closely.

"You can't deny it's more than a little odd," Sango added, "You had to have noticed something."

Kagome looked down at the puppet in her hands. She remembered feeling the wooden doll attempt to wrap its arms around her before she took her shower and she could not shake the feeling of being watched by its expressionless face. Kagome then recalled one of her grandfather's old stories about tsukumogami, spirits that are created after objects have become alive and aware after existing for a century since its creation according to the stories. Any one hundred year old object had the potential to become one of these spirits.

'But all of the spirits in those stories take on faces and appendages,' Kagome thought, 'Still, could it be that you are really alive? And if you are, what do you want with me?'

"Ye must be careful," Kaede said solemnly, "It is not uncommon for objects to take possession of humans whether it is their own soul or the soul of another contained within it."

"Do you think that you and Miroku-sama could examine it then?" Kagome asked, "I haven't felt any kind of dark aura coming from it, but you both have more experience with this type of thing than me."

"Just get rid of it!" InuYasha said again irritated that his idea was being ignored.

Miroku shook his head and replied, "That would be irresponsible. Should the doll really be possessed, it must be exercised before we even think of disposing of it."

"Miroku-sama and I should be able to examine the doll tomorrow," Kaede said, "Do not lose sight of it until then, Kagome-san."

"I won't," Kagome said. She stood up with the doll in her hands and grabbed her backpack.

"And where do you think you're going?" InuYasha asked, glaring at the doll.

"I feel like taking a bath," Kagome said, "and like I said, I won't let the doll out of my sight." Kagome left the hut with her bag over her shoulder and the doll cradled in her arms.

"You can't deny that she's attached to it," Miroku commented a few minutes after Kagome left and she was out of hearing range.

"I know," Sango said, "and it looks like the feelings mutual. It practically clings to her even more so when we were talking about it. It was like it was afraid of being taken away from her."

"Before we examine the doll, I would like to do a sort of experiment," Miroku said to Kaede.

"Of course," Kaede said, "What do ye intend to do?"

"I wish to remove the doll from Kagome-san's possession while she is asleep to monitor the doll's actions while it is away from her. To see if it will return to her side," Miroku said, "I'm certain the doll is possessed, but there is a chance that the spirit is not an evil one and simply finds solace in Kagome-san's company and influences her so it can remain by her side."

"So you think just letting that thing hang around her is ok?" Sango asked, "Even if it isn't an evil spirit, what lengths do you suppose it will go to in order to remain at Kagome-chan's side?"

"We'll have to see," Miroku answered solemnly.

-O0o0O-

Sasori fought the urge to groan in irritation; time seemed to crawl by as slowing as it could. In addition to Deidara taking his time obtaining the Jinchūriki, this blue eyed woman and her obsession with cleanliness was proving to be just as annoying. Although this particular vision didn't begin in exactly the same way the other did, it brought about the same sensations as the prior one. Just like in the previous experience, Sasori felt encompassed by a warm sensation. However, this warmth wasn't the steam produced by the heat of a shower. It took Sasori a few moments to realize that "he" was being held in someone's arms, the woman with the blue eyes. The two of them were in a small wooden structure with simple construction. Ahead of him sat a very odd assortment of people, an elderly woman, a much younger girl, and two young men. They were all dressed in archaic looking clothing and spoke in older speech patterns. Other than that only one of the four people looked particularly strange; one of boys had long silver colored hair and triangle shaped ears perched on the top of his head.

Sasori knew from experience that many shinobi and kunoichi possessed odd appearances and characteristics due to the blood lines of their clans. The sharingan of the Uchiha clan and the shark like teeth of the certain members of Kirigakure were only mild examples of how peculiar a shinobi can appear that Sasori was familiar. The boy's ears seemed dog like in nature. The only clan Sasori could recall that had canine characteristics was the Inuzuka clan of Konohagakure, but the boy's ears were not noted features of any of the clan members. Additionally, the hut the group was stationed in was not the caliber of any structures in Konohagakure. It was obviously a village of a lesser quality lacking Konahagakure's wealth and notoriety.

The group and the girl were discussing something, a topic that made his form in this scenario cling to the woman that held him almost desperately. The girl's companions seemed concern about his sudden appearance and obvious attachment to her person. He could tell that woman was getting agitated and decided to leave and take a bath in the local hot springs. Before being blessed (or cursed depending on your connotation) with the raven haired girl's womanly assets once more, Sasori was able to obtain a few tidbits of useful information. Immediately, Sasori was able to presume that the form he existed in with his new "companion" was a small wooden puppet like the ones he used to begin his training in puppet making and Kugutsu no Jutsu, the Art of the Puppet Master. Sasori was also able to confirm his beautiful companion's name.

'Ka-go-me,' Sasori thought and sounded out each syllable of the name in his head. It wasn't a common name in the world of shinobi, but it suited her.

Before his vision ended, Sasori was able to gain some valuable insight on the thoughts of Kagome and the connection they seemed to share. After she cleansed her body thoroughly, she relaxed in the hot springs. From what Sasori could tell, he was seated on the bank of the hot spring facing her. Kagome looked at him and quietly examined the puppet body sitting on the shore. She reached forward, grabbed him, and held him gently in her palm.

"Maybe I am possessed by you," she said softly while looking at him with a tender look in her eyes that influenced an unexpected emotion in Sasori. She sighed with the puppet did not reply.

"Somehow, I thought you'd say that," she said before placing the puppet back on the shore and turning away. The vision ended soon after that.

'There is a persistent connection between Kagome and myself,' Sasori thought Sasori paused in his thoughts and noticed the sun had faded from the wide desert sky and it was now dusk. He could hear the sound of Deidara's so called art and the rustling sands controlled of the Jinchūriki, Gaara, as the two engaged over Sunagakure. The two of them must have made contact only moments ago. Leave it to Deidara to make a spectacle of things. Sasori groaned and turned his attentions back to Kagome.

'I am certain that it will not be long before we come into contact with each other,' Sasori thought, 'She had better not keep me waiting.'

-O0o0O-

punkish furball—It may have been a short start, but I think this is going to turn out very interesting.

Comments? Questions? Words of Wisdom? Contact Me! L83R, DUD35!

(edited 11.11.2010)


	2. Chapter 2

punkish furball – Hey everybody…I'm so late…

**Words to Ponder:**

I make a note before you read: some characters might seem out of character, but I think that based on the situation how they act is appropriate. I was sorta thinking about the episode of _The Twilight Zone_ called "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" when I wrote it.

Thank you for reviewing: mia1837, Shiori Mayonaka no Yume, M.D., Bishonen'sFoxyMiko, Gloriana the Younger, Haru Inuzuka, XxHisLilLoverGirlxX, tinabug, heyheyCurlyQ, crazyness101, VirusYoukaiChild, Pissed Off Irish Chick, SweetDarkSilence, aislin94, LuLuCrazeD, kakashixangela, Nicole^_^, 4get me not, REVOLUS, Midnightfairie57, Bloodcherry, Frozen Heart Beats, Menchi-kun, K.S.T.M., Katey98y, o0KittyBlue0o, Stebba stud28, Cherry989, Burianna, xinewebar, sweetlittlemiko, Talaiel the Enchanted, Whispering Kage, ChocolateBunnyChan, KagomexSesshomaru123321, InzanityRulz, Sqidly, Aashni, xXiforeveriXx, weewooweewoo, blueyedevil586, sexy midnight miko, .ness, EclipseXGaaraXItachi26, FireNekoDemoness, AzureTwilightDragon, KagomeAngel91, Lalala8121, missymoo11, Balto, Kitteninthemoonlight, and Kagome Sesshomaru Lovers! XD

**Chapter 1**

Kagome sighed happily as she made her way back to the village after her bath in a fresh pair of pajamas with her towel draped across her shoulders and her soiled clothing folded in her arms. The warm spring waters always had a calming effect on her and that was exactly what she needed right now. The puppet doll was rested atop her folded clothes Kagome held in her arms.

Although Kagome was at ease now, she inwardly dreaded anyone bringing up the wooden doll again. She wasn't completely sure why she was certain becoming so defensive about it and she knew she was being a bit irrational, but she liked the puppet and wanted to keep it for a while longer.

When she entered the hut, Kagome noticed that everyone seemed to have settled down for the night. Kaede had prepared a pot of tea which everyone was taking sips of even InuYasha.

"Here," Kaede said and offered Kagome a cup once she had sat down between Sango and Miroku.

"Thank you," Kagome said and took the cup in her hands. She took a few sips from the cup; it was good, but the flavor was slightly different. Thinking nothing of it, Kagome quickly emptied her cup of tea. She stood up to hand the cup over to Kaede. She was unsteady on her feet as though she were drunk.

"Are you feeling well?" Sango asked.

"Just a little dizzy," Kagome answered, "I think I'm going to bed now."

"That's good," Miroku said, "You are probably just tired."

Kagome went off to the corner and pulled out her sleeping bag. Within minutes, she was deeply asleep with the puppet held tightly in her hand.

"Alright," Miroku said and stood to his feet, "The drug in Kagome's tea has taken effect. Now we conduct the experiment."

"Fancy name for taking the stupid doll away," InuYasha grumbled, "So you gonna do it or what?"

Miroku rolled his eyes and walked across the hut until he reached Kagome. He grabbed the doll with his thumb and index finger and quickly slipped it from Kagome's grip. He walked over to the other side of the hut and leaned the doll against the wall. He backed away to stand with Sango and InuYasha.

"So now what?" Sango asked.

"We just need to wait. See what happens," Miroku explained.

Minutes passed while the group watched the motionless doll rest against the wall. It showed no signs of movement at all.

"Maybe we were wrong?" Sango suggested

"I don't buy it! That damn thing is alive, I know it!" InuYasha exclaimed harshly.

"Lower your voice, InuYasha. We just need a little more time for it to work," Miroku said.

Nearly two hours had passed before the doll fell from the wall and landed on the floor. InuYasha moved towards the doll but Miroku stopped him.

"What are you doing?" InuYasha asked being mindful to keep his voice down.

"Wait. Let's give it a few more minutes. Maybe it was the wind that knocked it over," Miroku said.

After few more minutes passed, one of the doll's wooden arms stretched forward above its head and pulled its body forward. Slowly, it dragged itself across the floor in the direction of Kagome's sleeping bag.

"That sure as hell ain't no wind," InuYasha said.

"Give it more time," Miroku said once again holding InuYasha back, "Its aura is not malevolent at the moment. Let's see how far it will make it."

Steadily the doll traveled on the floor of the hut by dragging its form inch by inch. Kirara hissed when it passed her and tried to stop it. Without warning, the puppet swiped Kirara with its other arm. She backed away and went towards Sango. Sango picked Kirara up and inspected her feline friend but found no sign of injury where the puppet struck her. The doll continued moving until it was safely at Kagome's side once more. In her sleep, Kagome rolled over and put her arm around the doll.

"Looks like we have our answer," Miroku said, "The doll is definitely possessed."

"So let's get rid of it!" InuYasha suggested while clenching his fists.

"Nay," Kaede said after being silent for so long, "that is not responsible. Before disposing of the doll, the soul contained in it must be properly exercised."

"Do we really have to do that?" Sango asked, "I mean other than a harmless swipe at Kirara, the doll didn't really do anything. If Kagome-chan really likes it, then do we need to get rid of it?"

"For now," Miroku said, "I don't think that it'll be too detrimental to Kagome-san's wellbeing; it only wants to be close to her. We can allow it to stay. So don't try to get rid of it, InuYasha-san." InuYasha huffed and put his hands in his sleeves.

"Whatever," he said, "She's too damn old to be playing with toys anyway."

The group fell asleep in their usual positions somewhat less wary of the wooden addition to their group.

-O0o0O-

The next morning, the group got up and ready to head out for another shard search. Kagome dressed and set her backpack on the back of her bike. Shippo happily took his place in the front of her bike in the basket. Kagome smiled and ruffled his hair before she placed the puppet in one of the side pouches on her backpack leaving its head and arms hanging out.

"Let's head out!" InuYasha shouted.

"Hold your horses!" Kagome said and looked around. Sango and Miroku were still missing from their group.

"Sango-chan!" Kagome shouted and looked back inside the hut. The older girl was kneeling by Kirara's side with Kaede and Miroku next to her wearing a worried look on her face. Kagome quickly rushed towards them leaving InuYasha and Shippo outside.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked.

"It appears the cat has been poisoned," Kaede answered. She pointed to a large mark on Kirara's body that seemed by be expanding by the minute. It was purplish black in color and covered most of her side.

"Poisoned? But how did this happen?" Kagome asked.

"It's all that damned doll's fault!" InuYasha shouted from outside. With his superior hearing, he heard the conversation from inside the hut. He knew that damned doll had to be taken care of. He reached for the doll in Kagome's bag, but Shippo snatched it away from his grasp.

"Let go!" Shippo shouted and held the puppet away from InuYasha.

"Give it here you little runt!" InuYasha yelled at the kitsune.

"It's Kagome-chan's not yours!" Shippo shouted back at the hanyou and scampered away from InuYasha.

Back inside the hut, Kagome prepared for a lengthy confrontation. As she expected, the wooden doll had come up again.

"What does my puppet have to do with anything?" Kagome asked, "I had it with me all night."

"Not exactly," Miroku began, "When we were sure you had fallen asleep, I took the doll from you and placed it on the opposite wall of the hut. It had taken a long time, but it finally moved across the floor to get back to you."

"It moved on its own?" Kagome asked and Miroku nodded.

"Kirara is poisoned because she tried to stop it," Sango explained, "The puppet poisoned her when it attacked her with one of its hand."

"I've never seen a poison like this one," Kaede commented after finishing her examination of the demon, "I cannot prepare an exact antidote to it.

"So what can you do?" Sango asked.

"I can make a medicinal mixture that will flush the poison from her system," Kaede explained, "It may take some time to make, but it is sure to remove enough traces of the venom so Kirara will recover. I must get to work on it quickly." Sango, Miroku, and Kagome exited the hut to see Shippo running from InuYasha with the puppet in his hands. As soon as he saw Kagome, he jumped onto her back and deposited the puppet in her arms.

"InuYasha was trying to take it away!" he shouted. Kagome cradled the puppet to her chest protectively.

"Kagome-san," Miroku began, "the doll has caused Kirara harm. We now have probable cause to get rid of it."

"You provoked it," Kagome said, trying to rationalize what was going on, "If I just keep it with me nothing will—"

"Kirara is the only family I have left!" Sango shouted, cutting Kagome off, "This wouldn't have happened if you had just gotten rid of the doll."

"I'm sorry," Kagome said, but Sango wasn't convinced.

"Let it go, now," Sango said.

"Kagome-san, please," Miroku urged, "Give the doll to me."

Kagome stepped back when everyone began to advance towards her in a predatory way. She felt a sense of panic enter her body and a tight hold was encircling her wrist. She looked down and saw the puppet gripping her arm tightly. It looked up at her its expressionless face. A tiny compartment no larger than a finger nail opened on one of the puppet's arms.

'What are you doing?' Kagome thought. A small scroll unraveled out of the small compartment; there was a strange looking kanji written on it, but Kagome could decipher it.

"Transportation jutsu?" Kagome read out loud. Underneath the kanji for that was a symbol, a narrow rectangular bar over what looked like an outline of a sand filled hour glass.

'Sunagakure?' Kagome thought, 'What in the world is that?' In a white burst of light, Kagome disappeared along with the doll leaving no traces she was ever there.

-O0o0O-

Sasori sighed when Kankuro launched his first attack by trapping him in the torso of Black Ant and proceeding to impale him with the separate components of Crow. His so-called Secret Black Move was easy to counter with a sand clone. Still, Sasori felt mildly nostalgic battling his past creations.

'Speaking of nostalgia,' Sasori thought, 'That vision I had before the battle started.'

It was a quick vision but an informative one nonetheless. It began when Kagome had retired for the night shortly after she returned from her bath and drank a cup of tea. Sasori knew the beverage had to be drugged by Kagome's companions for her to fall asleep to quickly.

'They are paranoid,' Sasori thought, 'Tensions will only continue to rise until they eventually erupt.'

As Sasori expected, Kagome took the wooden puppet to bed with her and held it as she slept. Then without warning, the puppet was removed from her grasp and placed on the other side of the hut, another act by one of her companions. It was the raven haired man dressed in the purple robes. At the sudden separation, the puppet began to move towards Kagome to rejoin her at her side to it. Since the puppet was one of Sasori's earlier creations, the poison wouldn't have any fatal effects. When the strange feline tried to interfere, it was quickly delivered a mild dose of poison. No other obstacles deterred the wooden doll from its goal.

For the rest of the night, the puppet was not disturbed. It wasn't until the poison began to take effect on the cat did things take a hostile turn. Kagome's comrades quickly turned on her and threatened to remove the puppet by force. By the way it clutched Kagome's sleeve, the puppet (and Sasori) was not pleased. The vision ended when a small compartment on the puppet's arm opened. Sasori instantly knew what that meant and was shocked.

'It would employ all means to protect her,' Sasori thought, 'but I suppose that was inevitable.' Sasori turned his attention back to the battle at hand. The Jinchūriki's sibling wasn't much of an opponent, but Sasori wanted a little more time to toy with him before defeating him.

'I'll have to end this more quickly,' Sasori thought. Sasori ascended from the sand that covered him and faced Kankuro who released another series of attacks. Every move the shinobi made with his poison tipped needles, blades, and poison mist, Sasori dodged without the slightest bit of effort. Kankuro was quickly getting frustrated by Sasori's perfect defense.

"Are you finished?" Sasori asked drily when the mist Kankuro's last barrage attack faded.

"No way!" Kankuro said to himself, "Not even the poison mist had an effect on him!"

"Did I mention how much I despise making people wait? It's against my policy," Sasori said, "You're had your turn. Now it's mine." Sasori attacked with Hiruko's extendable iron tail, but Kankuro blocked it using Salamander's shield.

"Good luck breaking through that!" Kankuro said smugly, "As long as I stand behind Salamander's shield, you can't touch me!"

"Indeed that puppet does have extraordinary defensive capabilities, but even the best made puppet has a weak spot," Sasori said. Once again Sasori attacked with Hiruko's iron tail and aimed for the joint that connected Salamander's shield with the rest of its body sending it flying into the air. Without the puppet's protection, Sasori struck again with his iron tail. Kankuro dodged and landed on his feet behind Sasori.

"It didn't take him any time at all to find its weakness!" Kankuro sneered as he glared at Sasori's back. Sasori used Kankuro's pause to attack again with his iron tail again. The tail's tip landed a hit at Kankuro's abdomen and lifted the shinobi in the air. Sasori lifted Kankuro in the air a few meters before letting him plummet to the ground.

"That puppet is the same as any other," Sasori explained, "You can make the individual parts as strong as you want, but the joints will always be a weak spot." Kankuro stood and pressed his hand tightly to his wound. Despite being injured, he still attacked with his puppets using all of the hidden compartments and mechanisms. Sasori blocked every attack effortlessly.

"You have talent," Sasori commented, "You may even win against a different opponent. But those puppets of yours and all of their hidden poison mechanisms are not hidden from me!" With a crushing blow of Hiruko's iron tail, Sasori reduced all of Kankuro's puppets to kindling. Kankuro stiffened as his chakra strings dissipated.

"You must be wondering how I can anticipate every attack your puppets make?" Sasori asked the shaken shinobi, "Crow, Black Ant, and Salamander. I am the one who created them!"

"So then," Kankuro began with shock evident in his face, "you have to be the legendary master craftsman, the Great Akasuna no Sasori."

"I'm honored my name is so well known," Sasori said, "even to a child like you."

"Twenty years ago you deserted us," Kankuro said angrily, "Why?"

"What's the point of asking meaningless questions like that when you're about to die?" Sasori asked. On cue, Kankuro collapsed onto the sands of the desert. The poison from Hiruko's tail was beginning to take effect.

"I won't finish you off now," Sasori said and Hiruko's tail retreated underneath his Akatsuki robes, "I'll let the poison do that for me. It should take around three days." Sasori turned around and walked in the direction of a sand mound not too far from him. The wind had picked up causing the sand to form piles. Peaking from underneath the pile of sand Sasori was approaching was a small, pale hand clutching a wooden puppet.

'The transportation was a little off,' Sasori thought, 'but it would have too troublesome if she appeared too close by.' Carefully, Sasori extended Hiruko's tail and used it to unearth the being covered with the sand. Underneath the mound, Kagome was sprawled on the ground and unconscious. She moaned slightly and twitched a little but do not regain awareness of her surroundings.

"You shouldn't have kept me waiting," Sasori said roughly and pricked Kagome's arm with a mild sleeping agent coated on the tip of Hiruko's tail. There will be no ill side effects other than her prolonged awakening.

Sasori sighed and opened up Hiruko's protective armor. He stepped out just long enough to kneel beside Kagome and bring her in his arms. He returned inside of Hiruko and adjusted his body so he could still move and fight while carrying Kagome without causing her much too discomfort. She hadn't stirred again since Sasori administered the sleeping agent so he assumed she would remain asleep until he and Deidara finished their mission.

'It shouldn't be much longer,' Sasori thought, 'Deidara and I should get there without much delay.' With his new cargo secured, Sasori made his way to Deidara.

-O0o0O-

Deidara scowled when he caught sight of Sasori making his way towards him. Not only was Sasori late, but waiting in the desert heat became unbearable started causing Deidara to take refuge underneath a rock formation. His creation was perched atop the rocks with the Jinchūriki held tightly in its tail.

"Sasori no danna!" Deidara shouted over the rustling of the sands, "You're late! I thought you didn't like to keep people waiting, un."

"I don't," Sasori said once he was close to Deidara, "but time flies when you're having fun."

"What the hell does that mean?" Deidara shouted becoming annoyed with is partner.

"Don't get too worked up," Sasori said, "You accomplished your mission and secured the one-tailed Jinchūriki. After our mission is finished, we can start on mine."

"I guess," Deidara said calming down a little. Sasori had already begun traveling in the direction of their destination without waiting for him. Deidara sighed before he signaled to his creation that held the Jinchūriki that it was time to move on and followed behind Sasori. Sasori could tell Deidara was still annoyed but didn't linger on that thought for long.

'Deidara doesn't need to know about her now,' Sasori thought as he held Kagome, 'It will only serve to distract him.' While the two continued traveling, Sasori looked at Kagome's sleeping face. Although her skin was speckled with grains of sand, her body was noticeably bruised from the landing after the transportation jutsu, and her hair and clothes were out of place, Kagome still looked serene and at peace resting in his arms. Her grip on the puppet was looser; it had served its purpose so Sasori would dispose of it soon.

'I'll inform Leader about her in due time,' Sasori thought. He had every intention of keeping Kagome with him, but he couldn't go around the Akatsuki leader to do it. He gingerly brushed a few flecks of sand from Kagome's cheek.

'I wonder,' he thought, 'What secrets do you hold?'

-O0o0O-

punkish furball – And that was that! I did the best I could with the Sasori and Kankuro fight scene; I based a lot of what I wrote on episodes 7 and 8 of Naruto Shippuden. I'll try not to take forever to update the next chapter! L83R!

(edited 12.13.2010)


	3. Chapter 3

Punkish furball – Howdy, yall!

**Words to Ponder:**

Thank you for reviewing: Shiori Mayonaka no Yume, Pissed Off Irish Chick, o0KittyBlue0o, KagomeAngel91, lovelyanimeangel, wolfkagome, Evil RULZ, Haru Inuzuka, DV Anime Productions, Lalala8121, blueflame87, kakashixangela, Stebba stud28, firestone1836, sexy midnight miko, hermonine, GoldenFoxAngel, Lozenger12, Kenjo, silverfox-175, WraithReaper, Minogaki TenTen, tinabug, Cherry989, ThEpPeNgUiNsArEoUtToGeTuS, (no name just a blank space), , LilChickenWings, ShadowYashi, kagome higurashi, The Time Has Come, REVOLUS, p00piehead. All feedback is appreciated! XD

So this chapter has the beginning of the Chiyo/Sakura vs. Sasori fight. Not one of my favorites for many obvious reasons, but it's important. I just wanted to get it over with so I can move on to more fun stuff! XD

I'd also like to take this time to promote Flawless Addiction, a Kagome crossover fan site. It's really cool and has forums, awards, contests and fic recommendations. So check it out and possibly join and talk with fellow readers and writers of Kagome crossover fiction! XD

Site URL: http (colon) / flawless (hyphen) addiction (dot) webs (dot) com

**Chapter 2**

"Feels good to leave the sands behind, un," Deidara said to his shorter partner. The desert night sky was high above them as the two Akatsuki members made their way towards Kawa no Kuni to meet their organization's other members and their leader. The jinchūriki was held securely in the tail of Deidara's clay bird that followed obediently above his creator.

"Keep moving. I don't like keeping people waiting," Sasori said not once faltering in his step.

"Yeah right. You're one to complain about making people wait. Who's fault was it that I all too so long anyway, un?" Deidara mentioned.

"We're both to blame for that," Sasori admitted without much thought. Deidara sighed as he glanced down as his partner who had his gaze fixed on the path ahead of them. He could tell that Sasori wasn't in the mood to converse with him.

"I suppose you're right," Deidara sighed and continued walking.

Once Deidara became silent, Sasori looked down and smoothed the grains of sand from Kagome's cheek while raking his fingers through her rich raven colored hair. He couldn't actually feel any of its softness or rich texture. The action was slightly therapeutic like tending to a beloved pet.

The cuts and bruises that Kagome obtained when she arrived in the desert sands weren't as serious as they appeared when Sasori first inspected her. In fact, the cuts seemed to be steadily stitching themselves together and her bruises were losing their blackish purple color and their swelling was reduced. Her injuries were slowly healing themselves. It seemed similar to the Mitotic Regeneration technique created by Tsunade, Orochimaru's old teammate from his days in Konohagakure. However, the girl in his arms could not form any hand signs in her unconscious state. It appeared that her chakra was acting subconsciously to heal her.

'A kekkei genkai maybe?' Sasori thought but that seemed unlikely. Sasori was certain that Kagome was not a kunoichi and, therefore, not a member of any clan with such a blood trait. He made a mental note to ask Kagome about this anomaly and about her heritage to answer any questions he had. Hopefully, the technique didn't remove poisons; Sasori didn't carry an excess amount of the sleeping agent he used. It would be troublesome if Kagome woke before they reached the Akatsuki hideout or during the sealing jutsu.

'The effects should last for three days like that of my normal poisons,' Sasori mused, 'She should at least be out until the sealing jutsu is completed. After returning to the main base, I can give her my full attention.' Although he boasted not feeling emotion is his puppet body, Sasori could not deny the feelings of anxiety and anticipation stirring within him at the thought of having her to his self.

"Sasori no danna, what has your attention? You've been so quiet," Deidara asked growing tired of the silence between them.

"Just keep moving," Sasori stated gruffly.

The two traveled on into the cool desert night until morning came and they left the sands for the heavily forested area surrounding their destination in Kawa no Kuni. The sun was in the middle of the sky when they finally reached one of the Akatsuki's hideout.

"At last we're here," Deidara muttered quietly with relief in his voice.

The two stood on a cliff looking down at a pool of water set aside from the river leading into a stone cavern. The large boulder was rolled in front of the cave's entrance just beyond the single red shinmei torii didn't seem like much, but concealed behind it was the core of the Akatsuki.

"Let's go," Sasori said.

Deidara and Sasori jumped onto the water's surface below them. Sasori held Kagome tight to keep her from jostling against him and causing too much discomfort. Deidara walked ahead of him and stood in front of the large stone blocking their entrance to the cave. After Deidara performed the necessary hand sign in front of the boulder, the paper seal on the boulder glowed bright red before the large rock rose into the air opening the entrance to the cave. They walked inside the cavern until the two reached the edge of the water. Just ahead of them was a flicking image of a man garbed in the same black cloak with white outlined red clouds as they wore. He turned to them, staring with his ripple patterned dōjutsu.

"You're late," he announced flatly and turned his back to them, "We must get ready at once."

"The jinchūriki proved to be more powerful than we expected," Deidara explained offering the excuse to his leader, but the man ignored it.

The entrance to the cave was sealed once more and Deidara's clay bird released the Shukaku host onto the ground before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Akatsuki leader, Pein as he was known to the organization, quickly performed the hand signs to summon the Demon Statue of the Outer Path in order to extract the Shukaku. Deidara and Sasori both removed their straw hats and stepped closer to the large stone statue appearing at the rear of the cave.

"Now let everyone gather," Pein called out once the statue had fully appeared. The other Akatsuki members began to appear in a flickering image each standing on a finger of the statue. Deidara and Sasori jumped on their respective finger to join their fellow organization members. Pein was the last to take his place leaving only one digit on the statue unoccupied.

"Alright. Shall we begin?" Pein said, "It will take three days and nights to fully remove the Shukaku's chakra and seal it. Stay aware of your physical selves during the sealing. Zetsu-san, have your physical body stand guard outside. Use the one with the greatest range. Understood?"

"I know," Zetsu, the golden eyed image, said with little emotion in his voice.

"Only three days?" the tallest Akatsuki member image, Kisame, questioned, "Isn't it possible it might take longer than that since we don't have Orochimaru-san with us?"

"All the more reason to get started at once," Pein reiterated. The other members readily voiced their agreement.

Sasori said nothing in favor of turning his attention to the precious bundle in his arms. Although the sleeping agent would keep her unconscious, three days was a long time for the human body to be without food or water. Kagome's body lacked the training to deal with such hardships. Sasori would be very irritated if she died as soon as he acquired her.

'This should let her hold on for the duration of the jutsu,' Sasori thought.

Sasori pulled a single Military Rations Pill from the folds of his robe. Using his fingers, he pushed Kagome's lips open and placed the pill in her mouth. He rubbed her throat to ease it down her esophagus. For once, Sasori was glad for Deidara's mortality and poor planning skills. He didn't normally carry these ration pills with his normal battle equipment (seeing as they were useless to him), but his hot-headed partner was far too proud to stop for resting. He couldn't have the boy collapsing on him.

"Sealing Jutsu: Nine Phantom Dragons!" Pein shouted, his eyes shifting to the others in the room.

The Akatsuki members began the sealing technique causing the bit in the mouth of the Outer Path Statue to fall out of its mouth. Each member concentrated and used their chakra, causing the kanji of their rings to appear on the nail of the finger they were standing on one by one until each nail was illuminated. Nine dragon-like effigies poured from the statue's mouth and surrounded the captured host progressively removing the tailed beast from him. Each member stood diligently in their spot without breaking their concentration. Shukaku's chakra was slowly drained from the Godaime Kazekage's body.

-O0o0O-

The three Feudal warriors looked at the empty patch of ground were their friend and companion just stood. In a bright flash of light, she had completely vanished leaving no traces behind. None of them say a word while their minds fought to comprehend what had just transpired. Shippo had quickly retreated inside with a face full of tears.

"What the hell happened to her?" InuYasha shouted, breaking the silence, "She just up and vanished into thin air!"

"I don't know," Miroku whispered and knelt on the ground to inspect the area, "Perhaps this was also the doll's doing." Sango joined him looking for any clue to where Kagome had gone.

"I told her to get rid of that freaking thing!" InuYasha ranted loudly with his fists shaking in rage, "What the fuck are we supposed to do now? How the hell are we supposed to get her back?"

"Calm down," Miroku reassured the hanyou, "We won't resolve anything if you continue to over react like this." As usual, InuYasha didn't listen to Miroku's calm words and his rash behavior began to escalate.

"Bullshit!" InuYasha shouted, "If we got rid of it like I wanted to we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Miroku sighed and made his way back into the hut with a quiet Sango following behind him. There was no getting through to InuYasha when he was like this. Even though he was only overly concerned for Kagome's well-being, this kind of behavior would not contribute to her safe return.

'Whoever or whatever possessed the wooden doll performed some kind of remote transportation technique. Possibly transporting her to where it is,' Miroku mused. Although the situation was less than ideal, Miroku was sure Kagome would be relatively unharmed. The possessed figure was quite attached to her and hopefully the creator of it was as well.

'Hang on as long as you can. We will come for you,' Miroku thought with ironclad resolve.

-O0o0O-

"Our location has been discovered," Zetsu alerted the other occupants of the cavern, "The enemy approaches."

Which enemy is that?" Pein asked.

"A very skilled and dangerous one," Zetsu answered, "His name is Maito Gai."

"Maito Gai? Who is he?" Pein asked at the mention of the unfamiliar name.

"An elite Leaf Shinobi and master of taijutsu," Itachi answered, his eyes aglow with his Sharingan, "Don't underestimate him."

"Ah that strange 'beast' again," Kisame commented with a slight chuckle in his tone as he remembered the last meeting he had with the Leaf nin.

"We'll use that jutsu against him," Pein instructed his subordinates.

"I'll go," Hidan, a flickering image with distinct purple eyes, said, "Let me take care of him. It'll give me a chance to make up for failing to find my jinchūriki target."

"No, leave him to me," Kisame insisted, "I know him and I have a score to settle."

"Yes," Pein said, "because of your immense chakra levels, you are the most suitable to employ the jutsu. Very well, Kisame-san."

"Excellent," Kisame said with a grin, his sharp teeth showing he was obviously pleased with Pein's decision.

"I'll need thirty percent of your chakra here," Pein reminded the former Mist nin, who complied with the order.

Sasori relaxed at Pein's instructions; he expected the leader to send Deidara or himself to take care of the intruders. He was in no condition to ward off intruders using a portion of his chakra for Pein's shape shifting technique while concentrating on removing Shukaku's chakra and tending to Kagome in her unconscious state.

"More intruders," Zetsu informed.

"I see," Pein said darkly and turned his attention to Deidara, "You didn't cover your tracks well, did you Deidara-san?"

"Well," Deidara began, "as I said before, the jinchūriki proved more powerful than we expected, un."

"You're a bumbler and a fool," Sasori said not missing the chance to taunt and criticize his junior, "Your methods are too crude for any sort of secret operation."

"Crude, un?" Deidara shouted in protest at Sasori, "Those clumsy traps of yours were anything but subtle my friend!"

"Why you—" Sasori began but Pein cut him off.

"Stop bickering amongst yourselves!" he ordered with finality in is tone, "Focus on the jutsu. Now who to send this time?"

"Me! This time it must be me!" Hidan insisted eager for the chance to shed blood.

"This time it should be a Leaf shinobi," Zetsu suggested and looked in Itachi's direction. The former Leaf nin was silent.

"Very well. It's decided then," Pein said leaving no room for argument.

The extraction of Shukaku continued with the red chakra from the Kazekage's orifices into the mother of the Outer Path Statue. An eye on the statue gradually opened.

-O0o0O-

"So what do you think?" Miroku asked the older priestess. After entering the hut, he led Kaede to the area where Kagome last stood. There were no indicating marks that she was there visible to the human eye. He hoped that there were at least some spiritual markers that were left behind. Kaede was kneeling by the place where Kagome stood running her hands over the earth slowly.

"There are no traces," Kaede answered in a solemn voice and withdrew her hand from the ground. Miroku reached down and helped the older woman stand.

"But a powerful technique should have left something behind," Miroku muttered, looking at the spot his friend had disappeared from.

"I know of very few transportation techniques and none of them are as powerful as this one seems to be," Kaede explained, "It is possible that this technique did not expend any spiritual energy. Perhaps Mushin-san will be able to shed more light on the situation than I."

"Perhaps," Miroku sighed and walked back inside the hut where InuYasha and Sango waited with Kaede behind him, "He has many scrolls at his disposal that might provide a solution to our problem. We'll have to leave immediately."

"But what about Kirara?" Sango protested, "All of us won't be able to travel quickly without her. It'll take too long if we all go on foot!" The nekomata mewed weakly and Sango tenderly ran her fingers over her fur.

"You can stay here until she recovers," Miroku answered, "Someone will have to remain here with Kaede-sama and watch for any abnormalities."

"Right," Sango reluctantly agreed.

"What about me?" Shippo protested. He had calmed his crying but his eyes were bloodshot.

"You can stay here as well," Miroku suggesting gently, "Kagome-sama will want to see as many friendly faces as possible when she returns." Shippo nodded his head vigorously and rushed outside most likely to keep watch for any signs of Kagome outside.

"So when the hell do we leave?" InuYasha shouted becoming even more impatient.

"Immediately," Miroku answered and mentally sighed. This was going to be a long trip.

-O0o0O-

"Hmm," Pein mused, "It's getting noisy out there." Though the words couldn't be heard, there was definitely a lot of planning going on beyond the boulder blocking the entrance to the cavern. The three day jutsu had drawn to a close. The Shukaku was secured in the Outer Path Statue and the Kazekage laid lifeless on the ground.

"Seems like we have some expected visitors," Kisame murmured, eyes shirting to the entrance of the cavern.

"But which group is it, un?" Deidara thought out loud, "The one Kisame-san was stalling? Or perhaps—"

"It's both groups," Zetsu clarified, cutting of what Deidara was going to say, which earned him a glare from the blonde artist.

"They all arrived at the same time," Hidan said with a slight hint of mocking, "Interesting. But what a pain. They're too late."

"It seems one of them is a jinchūriki," Zetsu informed after taking in more information from the outside.

"Sasori-san, Deidara-san," Pein addressed the two shinobi, "Take care of our guests outside."

"Un, I had a feeling you'd say that," Deidara commented but didn't protest the order.

"But I want the jinchūriki alive," Pein said strongly as though that piece of information wasn't obvious.

Sasori fought the urge to sneer; he didn't want to waste any more time before he reached the main base. Kagome did not stir during the three day sealing, but the gentle rise and fall of her chest let him know that she was still alive. There were also no noticeable changes in her vital signs. The ration pill worked, but it will only last for a while longer.

'It's an inconvenience, but this shouldn't take long,' Sasori thought.

"Understood," Sasori uttered after he sorted his thoughts.

"Everyone else is dismissed," Pein announced the remainder of the group.

"Come on! Let's go!" Hidan shouted to his partner, Kakuzu. Despite his supposed immortality, he had always been impatient.

"Right," Kakuzu answered and both images flickered away. The other members followed suit.

"Well, I suppose we'll be going too," Kisame said and gestured towards his Uchiha partner.

"Itachi-san," Sasori called to the Uchiha before he and his partner could disappear, "This nine-tailed jinchūriki. What is it like?" Sasori scowled when Itachi was silent and didn't answer him immediately.

"Go on, tell him," Pein instructed. Itachi was silent for a few more moments before he answered the puppet master.

"He is the one who bursts in and barks first," Itachi answered.

"What do you mean?" Sasori demanded roughly.

"Doesn't he have any other identify characteristics other than barking?" Deidara questioned trying to pull more information from Itachi. The Uchiha stared at him with the Sharingan he so hated activated before disappearing in a flash. Kisame followed shortly after him.

"Guess not, un," Deidara groaned with a slight bitterness directed towards Itachi.

"The rest is up to you two," Pein remarked to the two remaining members.

"Not a problem, un," Deidara replied. Sasori nodded his head in agreement.

"I'll be waiting for your report," Pein demanded. With these final words, he disappeared leaving Sasori and Deidara alone in the cavern with the Kazekage's body. Deidara arrogantly took a seat on top of the dead body with Sasori positioned next to him.

"What's taking them so long, un?" Deidara remarked on the two shinobi teams that had appeared outside the cave, "I wish they would just hurry up and get in here." Sasori didn't comment causing Deidara to glance at his silent partner. He was definitely the quiet type, but it was relatively easy for the two of them to converse especially if it concerned something that made him angry. His current silence was a bit disturbing and annoying; it was as though Sasori was keeping something from the clay bomber. Deidara narrowed his eyes at that thought.

"Sasori no danna, what's the matter?" Deidara asked, "Normally, you don't like to be kept waiting, un."

"Yes," Sasori mused absently, "I hate it." Deidara frowned at the answer; something was preoccupying Sasori's thoughts.

'I wonder…' he thought before turning his attention back to the front of the cave.

Sasori's attention was partially on the female in his arms. Kagome's fingers began to twitch slightly and her eyebrows furrowed in her sleep as though she were dreaming of something unpleasant.

'She'll be waking soon,' Sasori thought.

The barrier ahead of the two Akatsuki shattered and four shinobi entered the cave. Indicated by the image on their forehead protectors, three of them were from the Konohagagure: an older male with silver hair probably the jōnin squadron leader, a pink haired kunoichi and a blond shinobi probably chūnin based on their age. The fourth member of the invading group was definitely a surprise, a retired kunoichi from Sunagakure.

'Chiyo-oba-san,' Sasori thought, immediately recognizing her face, 'Even you came for me.' She showed no outward signs that she recognized him, but Sasori knew better. Chiyo had seen Hiruko before.

"Finally," Deidara sighed with a slight hint of relief in his tone, "Well then, which of you is the jinchūriki?"

The only response to Deidara's question was the loud, erratic breathing of the blond shinobi. He trembled with rage and the whisker like marks on his cheeks grew more pronounced and erratic. His gaze was fixed on the dead Godaime Kazekage Deidara sat on.

"You …you bastards!" he shouted, "I'll kill the both of you!" The pink haired kunoichi and the silver shinobi shifted their gaze towards their fellow Leaf nin. Both seemed surprised with his sudden outburst.

"The one who bursts in and starts barking," Sasori said, repeating Itachi's earlier words, "That would be him."

"Sasori no danna, I believe you are correct, un," Deidara quipped with a slight smirk. The others were confused and irritated about behind left out of the conversation. The blond jinchūriki more so than the others.

"You…bastard!" he cried again, "Where the hell do you think you're sitting?"

Sasori frowned in the jinchūriki's direction; he wasn't quite what he expected when he pictured him. He was being rather loud and obnoxious. Deidara seemed to make the same assessment although he was more amused than irritated. Gingerly, Sasori brushed Kagome's hair from her face, idly twirling a few raven strands between his fingers.

'At this rate, he'll wake her,' Sasori thought.

"Well that solves the mystery, this kid's the jinchūriki," Deidara exclaimed with excitement, "He barks first and the loudest. Seriously, Itachi-san was right on the money!"

"Gaara! What are you doing?" the blonde jinchūriki continued to shout, "Why are you just laying there? Get up! Gaara! Why won't you answer me?" He reached out his hands toward the dead jinchūriki's immobile body, but the silver shinobi stepped in front of him and barred his path with his outstretched arms.

"Enough, Naruto!" he said sternly, "You know full well…" The shinobi trailed off at the end of his statement, but his meaning was clear. The blond jinchūriki, Naruto, took several deep breaths and pulled his hands back to his sides.

"He's right and you know it too," Deidara grinned trying to antagonize the jinchūriki, "Your friend's been dead for a while now." He mockingly tapped his knuckles against the Godaime Kazekage's cold cheek.

"Give him back!" Naruto yelled and began charge for them, but the silver haired one ceased his assault once again.

'The boy is reckless,' Sasori thought, 'This should be easy.' He turned his attention back to Chiyo; the hag had yet to make any moves. Despite her age, taking her own would be the most difficult and time consuming fight. Sasori didn't have the patience to deal with that now.

"What is it, un?" Deidara asked, ignoring the shinobi team in front of them, "Something on your mind, Sasori no danna?"

"I'll hold on to him," Sasori informed while looking down at the dead jinchūriki, "Since it seems that the jinchūriki will stop at nothing to get him back."

'I can't count on Deidara to get things done quickly,' Sasori thought.

"That's putting it lightly," Deidara grumbled and began to chuckle nonchalantly.

"Well, Sasori no danna," Deidara began, "I know you don't wanna hear this, but I'll say it anyway. I'll be the one taking care of this jinchūriki, un."

"Look," Sasori replied, "Our quota was one a piece. Don't push your luck, Deidara-san."

"An artist must always seek even greater stimulation, un," Deidara informed his companion, "lest his senses go dull on him. Rumor has it the nine-tailed jinchūriki is pretty powerful. A canvas truly worthy of my artistry." Sasori scoffed in contempt; Deidara's conceit was more annoying than the loud jinchūriki.

"Those pyrotechnics of yours, art?" Sasori commented with disdain, "Art is a work of beauty. Captured and left for prosperity. Art is eternal beauty."

"Eternal beauty? Are you kidding me?" Deidara protested loudly, "Don't get me wrong, un. As a fellow artist, I respect your point of view, but true art is fleeting. A flash of beauty burning brightly than vanishing in a heartbeat."

"What did you say?" Sasori asked slowly, it was clear he did not share Deidara's opinions, "Apparently, Deidara-san, one of us doesn't understand what true art is."

"That would be you, my friend, un," Deidara replied.

"Nonsense," Sasori countered, "Eternal beauty constitutes real art."

"Don't be absurd, un. Real art only lasts a moment," Deidara responded.

The shinobi (at least the Leaf nin) was confused at the two Akatsuki members sudden dismissal of them for their conversation on art. Naruto, obviously furious that he and his team were being ignored, initiated an attack the quarrelling duo with a large shuriken. With little effort, Hiruko's tail deflected the air born weapon. The two carried on as though the attack didn't occur.

"Are you trying to make me angry?" Sasori growled at his partner.

"Hey easy!" Deidara protested, "I said you wouldn't want to hear it. Give me a break will ya?" Deidara sighed; the two of them always ended up in a similar conversation when they "discussed" their views on art.

"I don't need to remind you what happens when I get angry, do I?" Sasori warned with Hiruko's tail hovering dangerously close to Deidara, "Why don't you explain it to me again?" Deidara smirked and stood up from his seat. A small clay bird appeared in his palm and he dropped it on the ground.

"Art is one thing and one thing only. The explosion itself!" Deidara exclaimed. His creation grew in size with a large puff of smoke. It lowered its head and grasped the dead Kazekage in its beak.

"It isn't even in the same league as you grotesque puppet show," Deidara said with chuckle. He jumped into the air and mounted the clay bird before Hiruko's tail could strike him.

"See you around," Deidara grinned before he took the skies. He gave one final look to the blond jinchūriki before leaving the stone cavern behind. Sasori groaned when the blond jinchūriki turned his attention to Deidara and followed him as he took to the skies. The silver haired shinobi followed after him before instructed the pink haired kunoichi, Sakura he called her, and Chiyo to stay behind and take care of him.

'Perhaps it isn't a total loss,' Sasori thought when he released who his main opponent will be. He may not have initially wanted to take on Chiyo because of his time constraints, but there wasn't any harm in having a little fun.

'This may prove to be entertaining, but I can't keep you waiting for too long,' Sasori thought. He brushed his thumb across Kagome's lips causing the girl to let out a soft, sweet sound.

"The way I heard it, you retire a long time ago," Sasori said to Chiyo and ignored the girl situated so close to him for now. He didn't launch a direct attack yet; underestimated the hag now would be a big mistake and waste his time even more than waiting.

"I suddenly longed to see my grandson's face again," Chiyo stated although there were no fond emotions in her tone. The pink kunoichi trembled by Chiyo's side; it was clear she had few encounters with an opponent as skilled as Sasori.

"Sakura-chan, do not fear," Chiyo informed trying to sooth the kunoichi by her side, "I am here with you. You just step back now, dear." Sakura complied and slipped further behind the old woman but didn't drop her defensive stance. Chiyo withdrew several kunai from the sleeves of her robe with a pale blue chakra thread and launched an Assault Blade attack towards her grandson. Sasori quickly deflected each kunai with Hiruko's tail although he shredded his Akatsuki robes in the process. Hiruko's body was no longer concealed.

"If you insist on interfering with my mission, I guess I have no choice," Sasori sighed and lowered Hiruko's tail from his face, "How would you and the little brat like to be part of my collection, Obasan?"

-O0o0O-

"What is that thing?" Sakura asked the older kunoichi by her side. She had be skeptical at first, but after the robe had been removed, she was certain to no human body could look like the person before her.

"What you see is not Sasori's real body," Chiyo answered, "That's merely a puppet." Sakura cringed; Kankuro was the only puppet master she had seen fight and she didn't have any battle experience against one. This was going to be a tough opponent.

"Then where is his real body?" Sakura asked, "The puppet master has to be pulling the strings from somewhere, right?"

"His real body is inside that one," Chiyo answered again, "Puppet masters aren't good at direct hand to hand combat. Controlling their puppets leaves him wide open for attack. To overcome this weakness, Sasori crated this puppet serve as both his weapon and his armor."

Sakura visibly relaxed. There was a higher chance of their victory with the experienced Sand kunoichi fighting with her.

"But do you know how I prepare a new specimen for my collection?" Sasori questioned with his raspy voice cutting into the still air of the cavern, "First, I drain all the blood from the specimen's body. Then I remove all the organs and wash it inside out. Make it nice and clean. And then, after I have preserved the body against decay, the final step is to fill the body with hidden weapons. As the hag said, this one is Hiruko. He is one of the many specimens in my collection. After you and the girl, I will have collected exactly three hundred. This is my art!"

'He has that many puppets?' Sakura thought and cringed at the ghastly practice Sasori described.

"You call it art do you?" Chiyo remarked her tone full of contempt.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"When he lived in the Hidden Sand," Chiyo began, "Sasori was revered as a renowned puppet craftsman. However, his true passion was making puppets from living specimens and adding them to his collection. He calls this monstrous construct art. That puppet, Hiruko, he was a shinobi of a nearby village. Sasori turned him into what you see now. A puppet that retains the shell of its previous physical form, a human puppet."

"And the same fate awaits you," Sasori informed and raised Hiruko's iron tail, 'You will soon become works of art."

"This puppet is skilled in both offense and defense, deadly at both," Chiyo warned the pink kunoichi, "First thing to do is find a way to force Sasori out of there. In order to do that, we have to destroy Hiruko."

"Well we should be at an advantage right?" Sakura suggested, "You know all about that puppet, don't you."

"Not so," Chiyo said surprising Sakura, "This Hiruko is different than the one I remember."

"If that's so then why hasn't he launched an attack yet?" Sakura asked.

"Sasori may be powerful, but he is not reckless enough to make the first move against a more experienced opponent until he knows more about our strategy," Chiyo explained self-assuredly before explaining their plan of attack to Sakura, "Our main obstacle is that protective shell on his Hiruko's back. To destroy it would take monstrous amounts of strength that I simply do not possess. You do, Sakura-chan."

"What?" Sakura questioned.

"You wield the monstrous strength of Tsunade-sama herself," Chiyo stated, recalling the way the younger kunoichi shattered the Akatsuki's barrier, "You must somehow get close enough to break through Hiruko's defenses." Sakura nodded affirmatively; Chiyo had all the experience and expertise while she had youth and strength.

-O0o0O-

'There's no way that brat has the battle experience for this. Chiyo-oba-san is my true opponent. I had better be cautious,' Sasori thought while he watched the two kunoichi discuss their plain in hushed tones he could not hear. It was completely infuriating, but it was to his benefit to give them the first move.

"Alright, I'm ready when you are," Sakura exclaimed and she quickly drew a kunai from her pouch and slipped into an offensive stance with Chiyo following the motion at her side.

"Are you sure?" Sasori asked tauntingly, "It's about time. I hate to be kept waiting."

"No need to worry, Sasori," Chiyo stated in the same mocking tone of her grandson, "We'll end this quickly." Both kunoichi charged towards the puppet master. Sasori promptly removed the cloth covering Hiruko's mouth and unleashed a barrage of poison needles towards Chiyo and Sakura. Chiyo dodged each of them expertly as did Sakura much to Sasori's surprise, but the attack was not one of his strongest.

'They're not half bad,' Sasori had to admit, 'Seems like they anticipated that attack.'

Sasori launched a second attack that was much harder to avoid that his prior one. He detached Hiruko's left arm and set the appendage flaying across the stone cavern's floor emitting a fine purple mist. Wooden spears emitted from the detachment and each one released a shower of poison needles. Once again, they dodged every one.

'The hag I understand. But this brat? How could she anticipate my every move?' Sasori thought. He scoffed when Sakura began charging at him without Chiyo at her side. Sasori moved to the strike her with Hiruko's tail, but the attack stopped just short of her face. He noticed the faint blue chakra string attached to the metal tail.

'So it was her,' Sasori thought in realization.

"Sakura-chan, now!" Chiyo instructed.

"I got it!" Sakura shouted and raised her fists in front of her. Sasori knew there was no avoiding the Leaf nin's oncoming attack. The shell on Hiruko's back will slow down the attack and decrease the force of its impact so there shouldn't be any damage to the interior. However, this information did not stop Sasori from focusing on the precious cargo he held against his chest. Sasori pulled Kagome close to his chest and tucked her head underneath his chin before Sakura's fist connected with the puppet's back. He could see her eyelids twitch and her brows furrow even more than before.

'She'll be waking soon,' he thought with a scowl. He wanted Kagome conscious when he returned to the Akatsuki base, but it seemed she would awaken during this battle.

'No cure for it then,' he thought.

Hiruko's body shattered and Sasori quickly leapt from the debris and landed close by. Once he was on his feet, he stood to his full height. A black cloth worn over his body obscured himself and Kagome from the two kunoichi's sight.

"So you've finally come out, eh Sasori?" Chiyo addressed her grandson.

"So that's his real body," Sakura said taking a good look at the shinobi in front of them.

"Come now," Chiyo urged the obscured man, "It's been twenty years. Let me get a good look at you. I came all this way just to see you."

Sasori didn't answer and pulled one arm from underneath Kagome's body and flexed his fingers. Hiruko's head shot into the air and fired a barrage of poison needles at Sakura. Chiyo moved quickly and used her chakra strings to move the kunoichi from harm's way.

"So that's how you did," Sasori commented, "I would expect anything less form you, Obasan. That explains why this brat could dodge my attacks. You foresee my attacks and manipulate the girl's body with chakra treads you attached to her. You also attach threads to Hiruko's tail when you threw those kunai."

"Very good," Chiyo remarked at her grandson's assessment, "Even though I used the least bit of chakra to make the strings, you still detected them."

"But of course," Sasori said, "After all, it was you who taught me how to play with puppets."

"Indeed," Chiyo replied, "but unfortunately play time is over!"

"You don't know how right you are, Chiyo-oba-san," Sasori said and pulled the cloth from his body revealing himself and the raven haired girl in his arms. He darkly chuckled at their shocked faces. Chiyo's was the most entertaining.

"Chiyo-sama," Sakura asked, "Is that really his real body?" She looked over at the older woman and gasped at the unresponsive look on her face.

"How can this be?" Chiyo said softly in disbelief, "You look exactly the same. You haven't aged." Sakura turned her attention from Sasori to the girl in his arms. She didn't look like a kunoichi and was clothed like a civilian.

'Or maybe she's another weapon,' Sakura thought and narrowed her eyes.

"Chiyo-sama," Sakura called out, "that girl. Is she another puppet?" Chiyo regained her focus and turned her attention to limp girl in Sasori's arms and studied her closely. She focused on the slight but steady rise and fall of her chest.

"No, she's still alive," Chiyo said and narrowed her eyes accusingly at Sasori, "What have you done to her?"

"I acquired her a short time ago," Sasori explained with a smug look on his face, "I didn't anticipate keeping her throughout an entire battle, but as they say, 'Business before pleasure'. She's a magnificent beauty, isn't she?" Sasori smirked as he gently ran his fingers through Kagome's hair and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He delighted at the way Chiyo sneered at him.

'Finally got under your skin, hag,' he thought. Sasori turned and placed Kagome's body against the wall of the cave in a sitting position. She moaned and resisted being set down but didn't awaken from her unconscious state. She would be safe from harm behind him not that his two opponents would purposely attack her.

"What's the matter, Chiyo-obasan?" he asked once he stood in front of the two kunoichi, "Are you so filled with emotion that you can't even speak?" Sasori pulled out a summoning scroll and the summoned a puppet to serve as his weapon.

"Don't you like it, obasan?" Sasori asked while proudly displaying the black haired, brown robed puppet, "He brings back fond memories, doesn't he? He's one of my favorites." Chiyo gasped when she recognized who this puppet once was before she clenched her wrinkled fists in anger.

"How day you betray your village by attacking the Kazekage for a their time?" Chiyo shouted.

"A third time?" Sakura asked.

"That puppet is the lost Sandaime Kazekage," Chiyo said angrily, "In addition to that and kidnapping Gaara, he also took part in the death of the Yondaime Kazekage." Sakura's eyes widened; that Kage's death occurred during the first Chūnin Exam she and the others participated in and was orchestrated by Orochimaru.

"I was not involved with that," Sasori clarified, "Although Orochimaru-san was affiliated with the Akatsuki and my former partner once before, he left our organization and acted of his own volition." He was surprised with the pink kunoichi grew cold and hardened and her fists clenched by her side.

"So you worked with Orochimaru," she stated with great malice and hatred in her voice, "That means you have all the answers I'm looking for."

"Sorry, but I hate to keep people waiting. I don't have time to listen to your petty questions," Sasori informed the pink kunoichi, "Not only do I have to capture the jinchūriki, I must see to that young woman over there. I haven't been able to tend to her properly and give her my full attention." Sakura slipped into an offensive position and Chiyo withdrew two summoning scrolls from her robes.

"Sakura-chan, we must defeat Sasori and recover the girl," Chiyo instructed. Sasori could tell the hag was determined she and her new charge would succeed.

"You really think it'll be that easy?" Sasori scoffed at their confidence, "I've been waiting a while to possess her and I won't be letting go that easily. Now shall we begin?"

-O0o0O-

punkish furball – So Kagome was unconscious for this chapter, but she will be awake in the next one! XD I'll try to update sooner; I already have an idea in mind for the next chapter and I got started on it. Until next time, L83R, DUD35!

(beta-ed 06.05.2011 by Yuki)


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